If you haven't done so already, Apple's new web-creation application iWeb is definitely worth taking a look at. It's part of the new iLife '06 suite. If you have bought a Mac recently, it probably has the new iLife '06 already. If not, you can pick up a copy of iLife '06 at an Apple retail store or reseller for $79US (or $99US for a family pack of 5 licenses).

Although iWeb may not be as customizable as Adobe GoLive! or some of the other professional web-creation tools out there, there are some real advantages to using it. For one thing, it doesn't require a 2-month learning curve before you can start publishing your professional-looking pages. When you first open iWeb, it asks you what kind of page you want to start off with. See the sample image below:

There are plenty of templates and samples to choose from, and they look down-right cool! From that point on, the built-in wizards will hold your hand while helping you along step-by-step. As you become more advanced in using iWeb (which you can expect after using it for just a few hours), you will quickly see that it handles text and graphics just like you would expect to see in Pages (Apple's word processor). There is quite a bit of flexibility once you learn how to use it.

Creating your first "About Me" page will take no more than 5 minutes (the hardest part is deciding what your favorite foods are). At the end of the creation process, it's time to publish your site for the world to see. Of course, iWeb would prefer that you use your .Mac account. If you do plan on using your .Mac account, it's a simple matter of pressing the "Publish" button, and you are done! From here, all you need to do is tell your friends and family about it. Fortunately, iWeb makes that part easy as well. At the end of the publishing process, it asks you if you want to announce your site to anyone. If you choose to do so, it will send the link to a specified group of people.

Now that I have (quickly) gone over the basics of what iWeb is and does, I want to spend the rest of this week going into more detail. Each day, I will talk about a specific area. By the end of the week, you will be an iWeb pro!